


whose chariot take me home?

by uptownskunk



Category: Marvel, Marvel 1602
Genre: Earth-311, First Meetings, Gen, Implied/Referenced Violence, Mentor/Protégé, New Year's GenFic Festival 2019, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-09-30 21:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17231687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uptownskunk/pseuds/uptownskunk
Summary: Peter Parquagh is leaving home for an unknown destination with a man of dubious intent.





	whose chariot take me home?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the New Year’s GenFic Festival on the genfic comm on Pillowfort for the prompt “adopted by a mentor”
> 
> Set in Marvel 1602 (aka Earth-311), pre-canon. If you haven’t read 1602, this fic isn’t gonna make any sense. 
> 
> Marvel 1602 is actually one of my absolute favorite comics but there’s pretty much no fandom for it to speak of, unfortunately. The relationship between Peter & Fury in this universe is one of my favorite things about it and honestly, I’d read a whole series about the Nick Fury from this AU because he’s so interesting but ALAS! If Marvel actually published the stuff we wanted it to, comic book fans wouldn’t be half as bitter, would we? Oh well, enjoy.
> 
> Fic title from the O.A.R. song “Whose Chariot?”

The silence in the carriage is stifling.

 

Well, it is for Peter, at least. Sir Nicholas seems perfectly content in his seat next to Peter, pouring over some papers with writing on them that Peter _thinks_ looks to be Spanish but since Peter can count the number of Spanish words in his vocabulary on one hand and still have fingers to spare, he doesn’t actually know for sure.

 

That doesn’t stop him from eyeing the papers like he _might_ understand them, though. They’re certainly less melancholic to look at than staring out the open window at the sight of his home since his parents’ deaths passing him by and less intimidating than staring at Sir Nicholas’ face which is probably the most _interesting_ thing to look at inside or out of the carriage, but which comes with the added danger of getting caught staring at the man.

 

And Peter has only known Sir Nicholas for a handful of hours but he already gets the feeling he isn’t the sort who takes well to being stared at.

 

So, Peter looks at papers he can’t understand and tries to think of what a man in Her Majesty’s service like Sir Nicholas would be doing with something written in _Spanish_.

 

Unfortunately, Peter isn’t nearly as inconspicuous about it as he thinks.

 

“If you’re going to be an adequate a spy, you need to learn how to be less obvious about your interest in things people will undoubtedly be willing to see you hanged for being interested in.” Sir Nicholas murmurs, voice startling Peter into jerking his head up, his face flushing at being caught.

 

The man isn’t looking in Peter’s direction, though. He’s still looking at his papers, seemingly uninterested in Peter or anything else.

 

Peter swallows hard, heart caught in his chest. “I’m sor--”

 

“ _Don’t_ apologize,” Sir Nicholas interrupts him. “that’s the first rule of getting caught with your eyes on things they shouldn’t be on. _Apologizing_ means admitting guilt, admitting guilt means a trip down to a very _dark_ and _dank_ cell that you may likely never get out of unless it’s to be marched out to your very _public_ execution. An adequate spy does not admit to spying even when the rope is around his neck – do you understand, Mr. Parquagh?”

 

He doesn’t sound angry, to Peter’s confusion and tentative relief. Not angry at all, nothing upset about it, just...matter of fact, using the same tone Uncle Ben had when he was teaching Peter something new. It’s instructional, pressing upon Peter something he needs to _learn_.

 

Peter doesn’t know what that means for him but he’s hoping it’s a sign that what’s awaiting him wherever they’re going isn’t his _very public execution_. “I...I understand, Sir.”

 

“Good.” Sir Nicholas finally looks over to Peter, his one eye critical, analyzing. “Because I expect any protege of mine to be much more than just _adequate_ and it would be incredibly _trying_ to shape you into that if you didn’t.”

 

“Your protege?” Peter blurts out. “Is—is that why you took me? Is that what this is?”

 

Sir Nicholas raises a brow at Peter. “Why else would I have need of you?”

 

Peter opens his mouth to answer but then shuts it with a click, unsure.

 

Sir Nicholas hmmphs and turns back to his papers. “These are interesting times for England, Mr. Parquagh. Perhaps you have no love for the country, perhaps your Scottish blood doesn’t allow you to, but in any case, we are living in _interesting times_ and not for the better. As an agent of Her Majesty, it’s my duty to know everything, to see everything, and to hear everything there is that would be of interest to the queen so that I may advise her effectively – but as it’s impossible for one man to be omnipotent on his own, I must have those working under me who can _know_ and _see_ and _hear_ where I myself cannot.”

 

“But...why me, Sir? What am I to you? I’m just an orphan, I’m—I’m not even English.”

 

“I knew your parents.” Sir Nicholas says quietly. “And I feel a responsibility to you because of that. I should have taken you in sooner, right after they died, but I was unfortunately... _preoccupied_ with something I could not easily escape from. But I am here now and I will see to it that you are taken care of better than you could have been otherwise and if I can teach you all that I know, to raise you into a man worthy of being my protege, then that will be all the better for both of our benefit.”

 

Peter wants to ask a hundred questions, wants to know how an _agent of the queen_ could have possibly known his parents, but Peter isn’t sure if the questions are welcome or if they would be answered even if they are.

 

Maybe later, he thinks.

 

For now, though, Peter decides to say only what feels appropriate in this situation which is, “Thank you, Sir. I—I won’t disappoint you.”

 

“We’ll see.” Sir Nicholas says, his voice almost _wistful_ , and leaves it at that.


End file.
